The Troublesome Tales of Loki and Thor
by Kyrgruna
Summary: Things that would have taken place before the movie, before the chaos...well, perhaps not that last one.
1. Chapter 1

The two princes of Asgard stood at the edge of the bridge. Their toes kissed the edge as their bodies peered over into the abyss. Both of them had finished their daily lessons and both were bored out of their minds. "That is a long way down to the bottom." Thor pointed out.

Loki nodded, "Yeah."

"What if we threw something down there?" The boy asked.

The darker haired boy shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose."

"I bet we could hear it hit the bottom." Thor grinned.

"We would not." Loki protested. "There's too much of a distance."

"Not if we threw something big enough."

"What could we find that could possibly be big enough to hear when it hit the bottom?" Loki asked.

"A rock."

"I guess we could try…"

Thor needed to hear no more, he trotted off and Loki remained, continuing to stare into the void. He didn't want to be curious about the depth of the bridge, but he couldn't help it. If he were by himself, he wouldn't have to worry about being curious. He would have been easily able to dismiss the curiosity and move on. Thor never helped these kinds of situations. Ever. Loki soon heard the patter of small feet come close. He tilted his head upward and saw that Thor had brought back a rock roughly the size of his head.

"Are you sure that will work?" Loki asked.

"Nope." The blonde grinned.

"Then why did you bring it?"

Thor threw the rock over the steep edge. "We had to start somewhere."

Both boys looked over, watching the rock disappear in the distance. They both leaned in a little closer, intently listening for some kind of clatter that may have been heard. Several minutes had passed without even a sound. "I knew it wouldn't work." Loki eventually grumbled.

"Then why didn't you come with me to find a rock if you knew it wasn't going to work?" Thor asked.

"There was the possibility that I could have been wrong."

"Wanna find a bigger rock?"

"Yeah."  
>With that, the two young princes wandered off in search for a rock worthy enough to be thrown over the bridge. They looked around the castle until a dark mass caught Thor's eye. "Brother!" He called. "I found one!"<p>

Loki hurried over and found his elder brother sitting on top of a large, dark stone that was about the size of the two of them put together. The two boys set to work to rolling the giant rock over to the spot they had been before. When they had brought it to the edge, Loki looked at Thor and Thor simply nodded. With that, they pushed the rock over the edge, watching it disappear as well. Again, they listened intently. Both of their faces lit when they heard a dim clatter in the distance. "I knew it would work!" Thor shouted triumphantly.

"No you didn't." Loki laughed.

Thor looked back over the edge. "I wonder what would happen if we threw Sif down there…"

"Sif?" Loki asked.

"Yeah," Thor nodded, "I bet you could hear her hit the bottom."

Loki gave a few uncertain blinks at his brother, then looked back over the edge. "She is heavy enough, isn't she?"

"I wonder if we could throw Volstagg down there…"

Loki twisted his face with concentration. "Would we be able to lift him?"

"Doubtfully," Thor laughed, "But we could roll him just like the rock."

Loki chuckled, "We could."

Thor's face turned a light shade of pink when his stomach voiced its own opinion. "We should go see if there is anything to eat!"

Loki followed after his brother, "Just as long as you don't eat everything! You can be just as bad as Volstagg sometimes."

Off at the other side of the bridge, Heimdall sighed. He was nervous that he had to tell Odin what his children were up to. However, as long as it kept to rocks, Heimdall had nothing to worry about.

This is it. I did this one pretty quickly, but I'm happy that I have something up here. This will be primarily a collection of humorous tales that would've taken place before the movie (hence it's name). Some of these stories will be based on Norse myth or any kind and others will just be any humorous story that pops into my head involving the two. :) I have another one that's almost ready, but it's turning longer than I expected. It should be up shortly. Please give me feedback. I was aiming for soft humor and I have no idea how that turned out…


	2. Chapter 2

Hey All! Thanks for the reviews! They were pleasant! :) As requested, I have chapter two up and ready to read.

Thor and Loki sat next to each other, looking at their feet dangling from the tree branch. The two boys were sitting on one of the largest trees in the castle garden. Both of them were grinning as they illuminated with pride. It had taken them nearly two hours to climb up the tree. The length of time to do so was due to the fact they made this attempt determined to go without the aid of a ladder. "Wow!" Thor laughed, "I never knew how much you could see from up here!"

"And to think that this isn't even outside the palace walls…" Loki smiled.

"We should make this a secret hideout!" Thor shouted.

"How would we do that?"

"We could hallow out the inside and-"

"Where would we put the insides?"

Thor had to think for a moment, staring intently at his small feet. His eyes widened when he finally thought of an idea. "We could dig a really big hole and bury them!" He grinned.

Loki stared at his brother strangely as he tried to decide if the idea was a good one or if he should just outright laugh.

"What are you two doing up there?" A small voice shouted from below.

Both boys nearly fell off the thick branch from the unexpected shock. Loki had to seize hold of the tree's massive trunk and Thor had to seize hold of Loki in order not to fall. They both looked down, breathing heavily, to find a young Sif staring straight at them.

"Nothing," The two boys sang in unison.

"I don't believe you!" Sif scowled.

"So?" Thor shouted, "Even if we were doing something, we would _not_ tell you!"

"And why not?" Sif demanded.

Thor looked at Loki for an answer, but only brought disappointment when his brother only shrugged his shoulders. "Because you're a girl!" Thor shouted quickly.

Loki's head shot back and looked at the blonde boy. "What kind of reason is that?" He whispered.

Thor shot his shoulders up in the air briefly.

Sif's mouth dropped open slightly. Her face turned a bright shade of pink. "What kind of reason is that?" She screamed.

"It's a good reason!"

"No it's not!"

"It's a good enough reason until I can come up with something better!"

Loki rubbed his eyes with his right hand and shook his head, sighing.

"I'm coming up there!" Sif shouted.

The two boys looked at each other, their eyes wide with horror. They looked back at the ground and found that Sif had found decent footing on the rigid bark. She began to climb the thick tree, her white dress scraping against the tree's thorny skin. Loki and Thor watched Sif climb fluidly upwards, despite her attire.

Loki looked at his elder brother, his eyes half open and inhaling deeply. "How is it that she is making it up here in a fraction of the time it took us?"

Thor shook his head slowly, "If only I knew…wow, she's really good."

When Sif came near the two princes, she reached out to grab the branch, but due to a miscalculation on her part, she missed and grabbed Loki by the cloth around his leg instead. The younger prince let out a yelp and instinctively shook his leg. This caused her to lose her grip on Loki and she quickly reached out, wrapping her hands tightly around Thor's leg. Thor, having little clue what was going on, lost his balance and fell. He had made the attempt to grasp for the branch, but missed and grabbed his brother's foot instead. Loki, by this point, only had one hand that was keeping all three of them away from horrible trip back to the ground. Loki bit his lower lip as he tried to swing his free hand back around the branch, but the weight of both Thor and Sif proved to be too much as the young prince lost his grip.

Odin stared at his two sons and their friend. All three children had broken something. Loki's left hand had been bandaged, Sif's right leg had been bandaged, and Thor's right arm had been bandaged. Odin, at this moment, was not a king, he was a father. A very frustrated father. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, rubbing it thoroughly, and sighed. "And which one of you wants to explain to me how all three of you managed to wound yourselves out in the garden?"


	3. Chapter 3

Loki gazed out of his chamber window, watching people wander like tiny ants below him. He sighed. The air was fresh and the sky was clear. The day was too perfect to be inside. What made matters worse was that his father had promised him and his brother the day to spend together outside the walls of the castle. He was exited to travel along the shaded trails of the forest and see large body of water of the only lake within miles. _But_ he had to go and seal Thor's book shut for calling him an "underhanded snake". Loki's head perked up when he heard the large metal door scrape across the floor. He saw his blonde haired older brother grinning at the doorway.

"Are you ready to leave?"

The darker haired boy put his back in the nest of his arms. "That is not humorous." He growled.

"Sorry," Thor chuckled, "I forgot you could not go."

Loki sat upright and glared at Thor. "If you came to boast, then you can leave. You won't interest me."

Thor twisted into the other direction quickly.

"Unless," Loki grinned, "You cannot go either."

The blonde stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What makes you say that?"

Loki leaned back, folding his arms. "You would not be here unless you got scolded as well. If you hadn't, you would have already left by now."

Thor turned around and flopped on Loki's bed, sighing. "I was scolded for instigating the situation."

"Serves you right…" Loki grumbled under his breath.

Baby blue eyes gazed above the green bedding. "We could have our own day out."

"How?" Loki asked. "We are to stay in our rooms and there is a guard at each of our doors."

Thor looked at the fishing rod laying next to the door. "We do not have to be outside to have fun."

Loki examined Thor suspiciously. "What are you suggesting?"

Thor jumped out of the bed and grabbed the fishing rod that laid against the door. "We could use this."

Loki stared at the wooden rod. "I do not think I understand."

"And I thought you were the mischievous one." Thor laughed. He bounded off toward the window and cast the hook out into the open.

The dark eyes widened. "What are you doing?" The younger boy asked.

"I am fishing," Thor grinned, "But I am not fishing for fish."

Loki peered out the window, watching the silver hook shimmer as it dangled from a thin thread. "Is it still considered 'fishing' if you are not catching fish?"

Thor tilted his head slightly as he thought. "Perhaps not, but we could still use it to have fun."

"What will you be trying to catch?" Loki asked as he stared at the tiny people scurry across the ground.

Thor scrunched his face, then looked out the window. His blue eyes searched the streets. "The hats."

"Why hats?"

"They look like the easiest to get on the hook."

Loki looked at the hats bobbing up and down. "I guess."

Thor dropped the hook down and waved it around until he was able to knock a hat off of a man's head. Thor pulled the hook up immediately, his cheeks turning bright pink. Loki giggled as the man looked around, picked up his hat, and walked away. "That was more difficult than I thought." Thor said.

"You know what would make this game more interesting?"

"What?"

Loki stood up and went over to his bed side. He grabbed one of the many sheets of paper piled on the desk next to his bed and a pen. "We should make a point system."

Thor groaned. "Why? Numbers are boring."

"No, they aren't." Loki growled. "It'll be interesting. Trust me. We could make it so that every hat we knock off will be worth five points, every hat that we hook will be worth ten points, and every hat that we can bring into the room will be worth twenty points. We should only be able to get one turn each, so every hat we try to get will be one turn. Once we start keeping track, the game will be more fun."

Thor scowled. "No it won't."

Loki thrust the pen and paper at Thor and took the rod. "My turn." Loki lowered the hook steadily and when he touched the edge of a hat, he yanked the hook back up to his room. The hat tumbled off of the man's head. The hat's owner felt the top of his head as he looked around for his missing belonging. He, just like the man before him, picked up his hat and hurried away. "That's five points for me."

Thor scrawled the number down on the paper and traded it for the rod. To Thor's amazement, Loki was right. Once they started keeping track of numbers, Thor found himself becoming increasingly more competitive. It had taken the boys nearly an hour before one of them had actually hooked a hat. Thor glittered with pride as he reeled the hat upwards hastily. Accordingly, the hat fell off of the hook and tumbled away with the wind.

The two boys were able to keep this game up until the sun was sinking in the sky, greedily taking the light with it. Only within a matter of minutes, neither Loki nor Thor could see the street below them. "We can't stop!" Thor protested, "Someone has to win!"

Loki squinted as he tried to see the paved road beneath him. "How can we continue when we can't see anything below us?"

"We can't stop at a draw!"

Loki smirked, gazing at the pile of hats between him and his brother. "We don't have to."

"What are you thinking?" Thor laughed.

"We have about twenty hats between the two of us." Loki said, "We can evenly split them up between the two of us and whoever is able to rid all of their hats the first will be the winner."

"Why do we want to get rid of them?" Thor asked. "Won't it be odd if all of these hats are being thrown out of the window?"

"Probably," Loki said as he knelt down and started dividing the hats. "But I think it would be more odd if we kept the hats. I would find it difficult to explain to Father why we have a bunch of hats that aren't ours."

"True." Thor picked up his pile of hats. The hats they managed to collect were of all shapes and sizes. Some belonged to men and others to women. They stood at the open window and glanced at each other. "Ready?"

Loki nodded.

"Go!"

They both flung their hats out of the window and watched them disappear into the darkness. This had gotten enough of their attention that both boys forgot to keep track of who had been the first to do away with their hats. "Do you think anyone is going to wonder where the hats came from?"

Thor shook his head. "No."

"What if there are people down there?"

"I doubt there's much we can do about it now."

* * *

><p>Knocking echoed through the chamber. Odin lifted his head from his book and looked at the door. "What is it?" He asked lazily.<p>

The door slid open and a guard bowed. "Please accept my apologies for interrupting you, but there have been reports of hats floating away to your youngest son's chamber."

"Hats?" Odin repeated, his eyebrows arching into the air.

The guard nodded quickly. "Yes, your highness."

Odin looked over at his wife, who sat beside him working with her needlework. "Should I talk to them now or later?"

Frigga kept her focus on her fingers as she spoke. "Later. They've been in enough trouble for one day. Let them have their fun."


	4. Chapter 4

Thor pulled his blood red bedding closer to his chin as light, uneven knocking filled the room. The door creaked open and the sound of light footsteps pattered closer to his bed. They stopped and Thor felt a hand push his shoulder back and forth rapidly. "Thor." Loki hissed. "Thor!"

Thor yanked his pillow over his head. "Go away."

"But Thor!" Loki whined, "There's someone out in the halls!"

The blonde pulled the pillow below his eye. "What?" He asked lazily.

Loki bounced up and down. "There's someone out in the halls! I can hear them!"'

Thor sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are you certain you're not hearing things?"

"I have never been more certain in my life!" Loki whispered. "There's someone out in the halls and they're singing!

"How do you know that it's not just your mind playing tricks?" Thor asked. "Have you looked?"

"It was the first thing I did!" Loki snapped. "I looked and I couldn't find anyone, but I can hear them."

"Are you certain?" Thor asked again.

"I am certain!" Loki cried, "Brother, why don't you believe me?"

Thor held one finger up. "The sun has yet to rise and I have not overslept." Thor now held up two fingers. "It is very unlike you to come to me for such reasons." Now three. "I am uncertain if I am even awake."

"I know what I saw!"

"But," Thor said slowly, "Didn't you say that you didn't see anything?"

Loki was grateful that it was dark; that his brother couldn't see how bright pink his face has turned. Neither of the boys were used to being up at this time of night and it was showing. "Just because I didn't see them, doesn't mean that they are not there!" Loki stated quickly.

Thor leaned back in his bed, his eyes barely open. "I know what it is."

"What?" Loki inquired eagerly, edging closer to the bed.

"A ghost."

"A ghost?" Loki repeated dumbly.

Thor nodded. "Yes."

Loki glared at his brother. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

Thor flopped sideways, landing on his bed with a loud and muffled plop. "One that bothers to wake me up when the sun hasn't risen yet."

Loki scowled. "I am serious, Brother!"

"As am I."

Loki stood for a while, then sat on his knees, resting his arms and head on Thor's bed. "Were you serious about the ghost?"

Thor flipped on to his back and sighed. "Yes, Loki, I was serious about the ghost." Thor said sarcastically. "There is a ghost that haunts these halls."

"Really?"

Thor tilted his head slightly. Was his brother honestly believing him? Well, Thor decided, there was really only one way to find out. "Of course! Everyone knows about the ghost!"

"I don't." The younger boy mumbled.

"You should." Thor nodded. "She's very well known around the palace. She roams the halls every night, singing the same song."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why does she do that?" Loki asked. "There must be a reason."

Thor shrugged. "Nobody really knows why she does what she does. She's like every other girl: strange."

"That doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?" Thor asked.

"Girls being strange" Loki said, "Do they have to be?"

"I don't think so, but they are anyway."

"Huh…That still doesn't make sense."

"What was that?" Thor asked, sitting up.

"What?" Loki asked, twisting his head and cranking his neck to look in the direction of his brother's gaze. Thor got out of his bed and scampered over to the door. He popped his head out into the hallway. Loki was soon by his brother, looking worriedly at the blonde. "What is it?"

"Sh! Don't you hear it?" Thor whispered.

Loki's brows pinched together as he strained his ears. His eyes widened when he heard the same melody from before. It was a low and smooth tune that filled the halls in a quick pace. "That's what I was talking about, Brother!"

Thor stepped out into the hall and squinted. He saw a dim light dancing around at the end. "I see a light!" He ran towards the end of the hall.

Loki bounced impatiently in place as he watched his brother shrink into the distance. "Brother! Don't leave me alone!" He shouted as gave into the worries his fluttering heart and chased after his brother into the darkness. He was careful to see if anyone was following them, but ran into Thor as he stopped abruptly. Loki pulled himself off of the ground and peered around his brother's arm. They both saw a girl gazing at the stars through one of the many windows. She was dressed in a white nightgown that almost touched the ground. The flame of her candle danced merrily as she hummed.

"Do you see what I see?" Thor asked.

"Yeah," Loki nodded, "Do you think she's real or a ghost?"

"I don't know." Thor whispered. He stepped forward and pulled his shoulders back to straighten himself. "Who are you?" He asked firmly.

The girl twisted her head to look over her shoulder, her black hair falling back into place behind her. The candle gave her face such a horrifying lighting that both boys screamed and darted away. Thor nearly tripped over Loki in the process.

Sif turned around fully and watched the boys tumble away. "What was that about?" She asked aloud. She sighed and went back over the window. "Boys are so strange."


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for giving me such wonderful reviews! :) I've been really happy to read them all. I honestly wasn't expecting this to turn out as long as this did, but I hope you all enjoy it. Before I go, I must at least warn you that the rate that I've been updating may decrease. Such-and-such started to happen and my vacation has come to a horrifying end. I can't say that it wasn't expected, otherwise I'd be lying through my teeth. And we can't have that, now can we? XD

Thank you,

Krudovana

PS, more reviews are always welcome. X3

* * *

><p>"Sif!"<p>

The young girl turned to see a certain blonde and his darker haired younger brother run up to her. Both of them had a stupid grin plastered on their faces. The simple sight of the two caused her to laugh. "What do you two want?"

"Do you want to come to the garden and play a game with us?" Loki asked.

Sif shook her head, "Maybe later."

"Why not now?" Thor whined.

"Because I have something to do."

"What do you have to do?" Loki asked.

"I have my art classes to go to." Sif smiled. "I might be able to play after then."

"Art?" Thor gawked. "That's so girly!"

Sif placed her hands on her hips. "It is not! It is an intellectual skill that expected of anyone that is to be taken seriously in the upper class. Personally, I'm impressed that neither of you are taking such classes."

"It is a skill expected of _girls _not boys."

"It is expected of both sexes!" Sif said hotly. "Male or female, it doesn't matter!"

"Not in any future _I_ see!" Thor boasted.

Sif shot her head at Loki and narrowed her eyes. "Well?"

Loki's eyes widened and shot around the room for several seconds, "Have I missed something expected of me?"

"Who do you agree with?" Sif demanded. "Me or Thor?"

He did not want to get in the middle of such a foolish argument. He was also certain that he would have been in trouble if he chosen a side to agree with. "I think you may be late for your lesson." Loki said sheepishly.

Sif's head snapped to the large clock that hung impressively on the wall. She gasped and darted down the hall. "Who needs her to play in the garden anyway?" Thor asked loudly.

Loki shrugged, "She has a tendency to make the games a little more interesting."

"No she doesn't!" Thor protested.

"Not from what I remember."

Thor glared at his younger brother. "What do you remember, then?"

Loki thought for a moment. He didn't want to tell his brother that it was simply due to the disputes they had. "Don't you remember the time in dining hall where she helped me come up with the idea to make our game?"

"She didn't do that!"

Loki's eyebrows arched upwards. "Are you calling me delusional?"

"I was the one that helped you come up with that idea." Thor grinned.

"No," Loki said flatly, "You were half way across the room when we came up with the idea. You were nowhere near us."

"That's not true!"

"Yes, Brother, it is."

"Well," Thor said, "She's still not needed to play a game!" He twisted in the other direction with his heel. "I'm going back to the garden!"

"I'll wait for Sif."

Thor stopped half way down the hall and sighed. "Fine," He groaned, turning around. "I guess I have no choice but to wait with you."

Loki bit his bottom lip. He didn't want to wait for Sif alone and his brother's change of heart made him really happy. The found the door the Sif had darted in earlier, but it was closed. The boys peered into the window and saw Sif's black hair behind one of the many canvases. The instructor was briskly pacing around the room, waving his arms wildly as he spoke.

"Who's the strange man?" Thor asked.

"I think he's the instructor." Loki replied.

"Why is he waving his arms around like that?"

"I wish I knew."

"Are all Art instructors like that?"

"I hope not." Loki said honestly, "I'm not sure I'd ever walk into an art room if that were the case."

"Me neither."

Both boys sat by the door with their backs against the wall. Time seem travel much like snail that had died in a salty oblivion. They tried to soothe their boredom by watching the clock as entertainment, but the hands' slow movement made their eyes heavy. Much like a snake scavenging the desert, without the slightest sound, they had slipped into the delightful land of Sleep. Loki was the first to open his eyes. He blinked slowly a couple of times as he tried to recollect the past several minutes before he dozed off. He subconsciously stretched, yawning silently. His eyes fell on the clock in front of them and he gasped. "Brother!" Loki hissed as he shook the blonde back into the land of the living.

Thor's head shot up, his eyes quickly flickering open. "What?" Thor gasped, "What happened?"

"We've been asleep for nearly two hours!" Loki said as he stood up, gazing into the class room. "Sif's class could have already ended!"

"Why wouldn't she have woken us up?" Thor asked, "Wouldn't she have seen us sleeping?"

Loki shrugged, "She may have been told not to."

Thor tried to peer into the class room as well. "Is she in there?"

Loki shook his head. "Not that I can see."

"We should go in and look," Thor said, "Just to be certain."

Loki took a step back as Thor reached to push open the door. "I don't think she's in there."

Thor slid his head into the room. "Sif?" He called. Both boys stepped into the room, looking around cautiously. They saw a line of canvases resting on small wooden easels. Each was colored boldly in a variety of styles. "I wonder which one's Sif's."

Loki bent his back downwards and stretched forward to look at the back of the paintings. "They have the names posted on the back."

"I bet hers is the worst looking one." Thor laughed.

Loki slipped behind the paintings, examining each of the names. Loki stopped when he saw the familiar ink signature scrawled on the back. "I found it!"

"Which one is it?" Thor asked.

Loki threw his hand out in front of the painting, waving it violently. "This one!"

Loki could hear Thor's feet stomp closer. "Are you sure this is it?"

"It has to be." Loki said, "Her name's on the back."

"She must have switched it with someone else's." Thor declared.

Loki squeezed between the two paintings and stood next to his brother. He scanned the front of the painting that he had found. "That's really good."

"That's why it's not hers!"

"How does that work?"

"Because there's no possibility that she could be _that_ talented," Thor said, "She must've gotten jealous and switched her name with someone else's."

"There's a chance that she could be that talented." Loki said.

Thor laughed, "I doubt it."

Loki simply rolled his eyes. "If you don't like it, you can either change it or make something better."

"Change it?" Thor smirked.

Loki's eyes widened. "That wouldn't be a wise idea."

Thor walked over to the cans of paint. "Then why did you suggest it?"

"I didn't think you'd choose that option." Loki said. "Making something better would probably guarantee your safety."

"She can't hurt me." The blonde chuckled.

"Is that how you nearly got your arm broken last week?" Loki asked.

"That wasn't her! I told you; I fell!"

"How?"

"I…uh…" Thor hesitated, "I fell. That's all."

"What about that black eye she gave you a couple months back?" Loki asked. "Was that not because of her doing either?"

"No!" Thor shouted, "It wasn't!"

"You do realize I watched her give that to you, right?"

He was grateful that he had his back towards his brother; Thor's face turned a bright shade of red. As a desperate escape from his overpowering embarrassment, he looked at the pile of paint cans that stood before him. One of the more intriguing items was an open can of yellow paint. It was ever so enticing. So taunting. It was laughing. He knew it. Thor looked over his shoulder and stuck his finger in the yellow goop. He couldn't help but let out a small giggle stirred his finger in the thick paint.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Nothing." Thor said quickly.

Loki walked over to his brother and looked down into the yellow paint can. "That doesn't look like nothing. Why would you stick your finger in the paint?"

Thor smiled as he continued to stir his finger around in the can. Within several seconds, he plunged his hand into the can. "It feels really weird."

"Do you realize how silly you look?" His younger brother asked.

"You only say that because you're afraid." Thor teased.

"I am not." Loki growled. "I just don't want to look stupid."

Thor simply shrugged his shoulders and continued to stir his hand around in the bright yellow paint. Loki looked at his brother, then looked at the paint. "Do you really find the paint that interesting?"

"Yes," Thor grinned.

Loki sighed, rolling up his sleeve and stuck his hand in the yellow paint. He gasped as the cool liquid engulfed his skin. Loki shuddered and giggled at the same time. "Weird."

"I told you." Thor laughed.

Loki's eyes widened as he pulled his hand out of the thick liquid. "What are we going to do with the paint on our hands? We can't just leave like this."

Thor pulled out his hand and looked about the room. "We could make somebody's painting very pretty." Thor smirked.

Loki shot his brother a glare. "Something that _won't_ force Sif to kill us."

"We could use the curtains." Thor suggested.

"Then the teacher would scold us."

"Not unless _somebody_ tells him what we did."

"It wouldn't be that difficult to figure out." Loki mumbled.

"Only if you said anything," Thor growled.

Loki smiled sweetly as he patted his brother on the back with his painted hand. "Of course, Brother, you couldn't be any more correct."

Thor went over to the curtain, but the reflection of a yellow blot on his back caught his eye. His eyes widened as he spun around to examine his back. "What did you do to my back?" Thor gasped.

Loki smirked. "Why, dear brother, I haven't the _slightest_ clue as to what you are talking about."

"You couldn't be any more of a liar!"

"And using the curtain to remove the paint and leaving as though we were never in here was any better?" Loki asked.

"But I have a yellow hand print on my back!" Thor whined.

"It's just good of an option as using the curtain."

Thor walked back over to his brother, scowling. Silently, he picked up the can of yellow paint and dumped it over Loki's head. Loki wiped the paint from his eyes and grabbed a thick tube of paint, opened the cap and squirted it at Thor. Thor dropped his can of yellow paint, opened a can of green paint, scooped a handful of the goopy liquid and threw it across his brother's dark clothing. Loki did the same with a can of white paint.

"I found them!" Sif shouted from the entrance.


	6. Chapter 6

The golden walls of Asgard's palace sang with a special and unique note of silence. This only concluded to one very plausible and disturbing fact: Two certain young princes were handling the dull flame of life that left them feeling like zombies…with caffeine.

These two boys were located in one of the many empty rooms that could have been found in the palace. It had been cleaned due to a recent refurnishing of the room save for a handful of objects that were waiting to be returned to their rightful resting place. Thor and Loki laid on their backs and stared into the massive chandelier that dangled above them. Had they not known better, they wouldn't have been able to tell that it was made entirely of wood. It was very smooth and polished so well that it glistened with the luster of an exotic jewel. Strangely, it seemed to be a miracle that the thing was still attached to the ceiling. Almost as though it were attached to a thin thread, ready to snap to the ground at any given second.

The youngest was the first to break this silence, "It would be unfortunate if the chandelier fell."

Thor fiddled with a small wooden toy as his eyes were lost in the intriguing work of art staring back at him. "It won't fall."

"You can never know," Loki said, "There is always a possibility."

"Thinking about a chandelier crushing our skulls will never cure boredom." Thor sighed.

"Perhaps not for you," Loki said, "but you haven't much of an imagination."

Thor looked over at his brother. "That's not true."

"It's not?"

"No, it's not."

"Tell me a story."

Thor blinked at his brother for several moments. "I'm sorry?"

"Tell me a story." Loki repeated. "Make one up. One I haven't heard before."

"Fine." Thor growled. Several silent moments passed as Thor scavenged the deepest depths of his brain for such a demand.

"Well?" Loki eventually asked.

"You didn't tell me what you wanted the story to be about." Thor shifted his shoulders, trying to bury his discomfort deep into the ground.

Loki's brows pinched together. "Why would I need to do that?"

Thor stuck his chin high into the air with a feigned pride. "I can come up with several stories! However, it doesn't help me if you don't tell me what kind of story you want to hear."

Loki briefly shook his head, almost as if he were trying to rid himself of his confusion. "That just makes even less sense. It doesn't matter what kind of story it is. The only reason why you would need subject matter to work with is because you are so lacking in creativity that you need aid. You, Brother, are not a creative person."

"Do you still have Fandral's marbles?" Thor asked, a dim bulb flickering violently inside his brain.

"Are you referring to the ones that he told me not to lose or break?" Loki asked blankly.

Thor gave a toothy grin, "Yeah, those."

"Why?"

"They may be the solution to all of our problems." Thor proclaimed.

"I hope you have no intention of using those for your sling shot."

Thor moved the wooden toy from his stomach to the ground next to him. "No." He said slowly.

"You're a horrible liar." Loki sighed.

"I won't break them." Thor reassured.

"I don't believe you."

"Please?" Thor begged. "Just one marble."

* * *

><p>Both boys looked upward, deep into the crevices of the chandelier's design. A shiny round face stared back at them. It had found a cozy seat within the chandelier's depth and was mocking the two boys. "Fandral is going to kill us." Thor said.<p>

"I believe the correct term would be 'slaughter', Brother." Loki corrected.

Thor looked helplessly at his brother. "Are we going to die brutally?"

Loki looked around the room, "Perhaps not."

"What makes you say that?" Thor asked anxiously.

"We may be able to use something to help us get it down." Loki said as his eyes grazed the room. They spotted an old ladder resting soundly against the wall. "That could work."

The two boys scurried over to the ladder. Loki examined it closely. It indeed was an old ladder. The wood was no longer a light brown, but darkened with rot. "This is brilliant!" Thor exclaimed. "I can hold the ladder while you climb up it to retrieve the marble!"

"No."

"Huh?"

"No."

"Why not?" Thor whined.

Loki shrugged, "You're the eldest. You should have the honor of climbing the ladder."

"That doesn't work!"

"Explain."

"That excuse is only supposed to work in _my _favor."

"Are you being a coward then?"

"I am not a coward!"

"I believe you are being quite cowardly if you aren't willing to climb up a ladder."

Thor grabbed the flimsy ladder. "I'll show you who the coward truly is."

* * *

><p>Sif trotted down the halls, glancing quickly down every corner for the familiar faces of the two princes. So far, she was having no luck. She had hoped that she would have saved herself some time by just asking their parents, but that proved to be just as fruitless. In fear of their silence, however, Sif had been given the assignment of finding them as quickly as she could.<p>

She stopped as she heard the familiar voices snapping back at each other in a sad attempt of hushed tones. Sif leaned her head against the door that separated her from the source of the noise to make sure she there was no mistaking her belief. Once she confirmed her curiosity, she pushed the door forward with her weight.

The creaking of the door startled both of the boys. Loki merely jumped, but Thor fell backwards, kicking the ladder forward. Loki kept his grip on the ladder, but that only made things significantly worse. The two differently applied pressures strained the blackened rot not that far above Loki's head, snapping the ladder in half. Thor held on to the chandelier kicking frantically around as he tried to keep hold of the swinging work of art. Sif entered the room, her eyes widened and her mouth agape.

"What _HAPPENED_?" The small girl shrieked.

"Where did the ladder go?" Thor demanded with quick, uneven breaths.

Loki's mouth opened and closed like that of a fish as he searched for the correct order of words. Sif ran up to Loki, staring upward at the helpless blonde. "What is he doing up there?" Sif hissed in a soft voice, glaring at the younger brother.

"This is your fault." Loki growled.

"How is this _my_ fault?"

"If you hadn't opened the door and scared us, then Thor wouldn't have broken the ladder."

"Loki!" Thor called, "Where is the ladder? I can't feel it!"

"Um…" Loki hesitated, still unsure as to what he should tell his brother.

"You broke it!" Sif shouted.

Thor adjusted slightly, hoping he had misheard the situation. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly. What did you say?"

"The ladder snapped in half." Sif said, "There's no feasible way that we can use it to get you down."

"There must be something!"

"There _might _be." Sif said slowly.

"What?" Thor breathed, "What is it?"

"You have to make a promise first."

"Name your price!"

"You have to promise me that you won't say anything against me for the next three months." Sif growled. "That means not a single harsh word towards me is to slip out of your mouth for three whole months. That doesn't mean anything that totals to three months either. Three months in a row."

Loki bit his quivering lower lip. He wasn't sure if his brother would make such a 'demeaning' promise, much less keep it. Depending on how things turned out, the next three months might be quite interesting.

Thor shook his head. There was no possible way in all of the nine realms that he would make such a promise!

He could feel the wood press into his skin as he slipped downward an inch.

…on any other occasion. "Fine!"

Loki's eyes widened.

Sif looked over at the darker haired boy. "You heard every word of that conversation, right?"

Loki simply nodded, his eyes still sewn to his older brother.

Sif cracked the back of her hand against Loki's arm, pulling the boy back into reality. "Go get that tall pile of tarps over there."

Loki ran his hand gingerly up and down the wounded area as his eyes trailed the girl's slender finger. Quickly, Loki ran over to the tarps. He didn't notice how heavy they were until he picked them up. This task had taken him longer than what he had originally estimated. He had to shift the tarps in such a way that they didn't fall as he walked _and_ not to kill him with their weight.

"Hurry!" Sif panicked, "He's slipping!"

Loki quickly ran as quickly as he could over to his brother. The cloths piled ridiculously high above his head and wobbled as he moved. He circled around underneath the wavering chandelier, attempting to predict where Thor would fall. Sif covered her eyes with her hands and held her breath.

"Will you stop kicking?" Loki yelled, "You're making the chandelier swing around!" Thor was so busy trying to keep his grip on the massive object to even process what his brother had said. Loki dropped the thick tarps and turned away from struggling blonde. "I am not going to chase you around the room! You'll make fools of us both!"

Sif let her small hands slip below her eyes just in time to see Thor knock into Loki as he finally fell. She couldn't help but let out a sharp gasp. Thor, still on his brother's back, flipped over to his side, doubled over and groaned. Sif also saw the dark marble fly off of his seat and bounce off Loki's head. She felt her lips curve into a smile. "You two look like fools indeed."

* * *

><p>Sorry about the long wait, but there it was! ^^ I'm not sure if the marbles (or the sling shot for that matter) fit in or not, but that was the center object of this chapter (Yeah, each of these chapters are based off of objects. I think of a random object and work a story around it. Ex.: Chapter one= rocks, chapter two= trees, three= hats, four=ghosts, five= paint. There's no rhyme or reason why I do this, but it seems to work. XD). I'm not sure when my next chapter will get posted, but I'll try to have it up here soon. Anyway, thanks again for all of the reviews. They're greatly appreciated. :)<p>

Krudovana


	7. Chapter 7

Thor held his cupped hands together tightly, as if he were holding something within the tiny space. His grin reached for both ears.

"What do you have?" Loki asked with an empty bluntness.

Thor turned his back to the younger boy. "I don't think you want to see."

Loki slid around the blonde to examine the clasped hands. "I want to see."

Thor spun around again. "No you don't."

"What makes you think you know what I want?" Loki growled.

"Because it will bore you." Thor said, "It's the kind of thing that won't interest you."

"Interesting to me or not, I still want to see it."

"No."

Loki reached beyond the blonde and began to pry open his hands. Thor pulled away, but his hands parted slightly and a small, round, dark object flew out of the slit. Thor gasped. "No!" He quickly faded into the hall's depth after the insect. Loki found himself agreeing with Thor about the amount of interest it held; none. He couldn't, however, figure out why Thor didn't just tell him what it was. Things would have definitely gone a lot smoother.

It was only half an hour later when Loki found Thor in the dining hall. He had tried to divert his attention in any possible way he could think of from the guilt that hung heavy in his heart. Loki didn't want to destroy one of Thor's few sources of entertainment. He tried to study, fixing some broken objects, and even tried to converse with others, but the guilt created a vile that stung his heart fiercely. Thor was slowly creeping around a chair, intently looking at the smooth ground. "Are you still looking for that beetle?"

Thor shot high into the air, letting out a small yelp. He looked over at his brother and glared. "Why should _you_ care?" Loki was certain that if a voice had the ability to spew venom, his body would be a half rotten corpse by now.

Loki shrugged. "Maybe I can help." He was far from admitting that he was feeling bad for letting it escape.

Thor snorted. "I bet you only want to see how long it takes me to catch it."

Loki had opened his mouth to respond, but he found himself looking at the doorway as he heard two loud voices echoing through the halls with sweet giggles edging closer to the dining room. Thor grabbed his brother by the hand and pulled them behind one of the many thick curtains that draped around the room. "Why are we hiding?"

"One of those voices belonged to Sif," Thor explained, "If she finds us in here, she'll think I'm plotting against her."

Loki rolled his eyes and peered through a crack that he was able to use as a window. He saw Sif and Fandral sit at one of the many tables. Loki's eyebrows sank downwards as he hadn't noticed the bowls of soup laying around earlier. He wasn't one to miss details like that.

"I'm not sure where they are." Fandral said lazily, stirring his soup around with his spoon.

"I don't even know why I bother to care." Sif grumbled. "They only get into trouble."

Fandral smiled, "I think they're fun to be around. You can never be sure what wild ideas they'll come up with next. "

"Of course you would," Sif sighed.

"You can't deny it," Fandral grinned, "You enjoy it just as much as I do."

Both children were so engulfed in their conversation that neither child noticed the black beetle's shiny back scurry across the table. Loki did, however. He even saw the tiny bug crawl into Sif's soup and judging the way Thor had gasped, he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

Fandral had gotten into telling an extravagant story of him doing something or another, devouring the girl's attention. They were in their own little oblivious world of conversation. Loki and Thor horrifyingly watched the dark beetle swim around in Sif's spoon as she brought the silver device to her lips.

"We should run now." Thor whispered.

Loki shook his head, "That will only make things worse. We need to wait until they leave before we go anywhere."

Thor was about to make an objection to this idea, but was silenced by a shrill scream. Both eyes were wide and their breath was scarce.

"What's wrong?" Fandral asked.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?" Sif snapped. "There was a beetle in my soup!"

"It's just a bug."

Sif gave a small dance as she shuddered. "It is not just a bug! It is a disgusting and vile creature from the deepest pits of Nifl-heim!"

"I'm pretty sure you're just over reacting."

"I am not!" Sif shouted. "Do you have the slightest idea where those things _live_?"

"I never really cared to give it a thought, honestly."

Sif growled, "I'm certain Thor's behind this."

"Over. Reacting."

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Loki was involved, either. In fact, I'm certain they're in this room as we speak." Sif said as her eyes searched the room.

"Must you make me repeat myself?" Fandral asked.

Loki heard the curtains on the other side of the room move violently to the side. "I think staying here would be quite pointless." Thor whispered.

"Yeah," Loki nodded. He looked back out into the dining room and saw that Sif was busy occupying herself with the other direction. Both boys slid silently from the curtains and quickly maneuvered their way to the door. Fandral watched the boys with confused eyes. Thor noticed the Fandral's concerning complexion and glared furiously at the child, making a silent, but deadly threat. Fandral made a small nod, his tiny heart pounding rapidly. Just as the two brothers reached the glorious door of delicious escape, they heard a very shrill, "I knew it!"

They heard the girl's lighter footsteps flap in flight towards them. Loki and Thor quickly darted through the wide variety of halls. They both strained themselves to pass the other, hoping to leave that other behind for Sif's hungry wrath. Eventually, Loki slid into an empty hall, breathing heavily. Somewhere along the lines, the boys had managed to lose Sif temporarily in the grand maze of halls. It wasn't long, however, before Thor found his brother's hiding place.

"What are you doing?" Loki hissed, "Go find somewhere else to hide!"

Thor shook his head, regaining control over his own breath. "If I am going to be blamed for this, so are you."

"You could try to tell her, perhaps, the _truth_." Loki suggested.

Thor raised an eyebrow at the darker haired boy. "Have you lost all grip on your sanity? What makes you believe that she'll even listen to us?"

Loki shook his head, then looked intently to his right. "Brother…Do you want to know what I just learned?"

Thor's eyes widened as he saw Sif glaring right at them. "Please," He said, keeping his eyes on the infuriated girl. "It can't be as bad as what I had just found."

"We're in a hall that leads nowhere."

* * *

><p>Gah, here's something quick. I hope you all enjoyed it. :)<p>

Krudovana


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, it seems like forever since I've last updated this…Well, here's something quick (I mean really quick). :)

For those following Missing, too: I'll be getting the next chapter for that up either tonight or tomorrow, I can't tell.

* * *

><p>Thor and Loki shifted lazily as they sat side by side. Their bare feet hovered over the lake's cool water. Odin paced behind them as he spoke of mundane lessons about balance. The balance of nature and the balance of civilization, whichever one he was putting emphasis on at that exact moment, neither boy could tell. Loki's dark eyes would shoot from Thor to his father and back again in split desires to both listen to his father and to watch his brother threatening to dip his toes into the water at the same time.<p>

Loki rolled his eyes, "You won't do it. You have been threatening to, but you won't."

Thor gave a toothy grin as he stuck his toe in the chilly water.

Loki stared at his brother blankly, then he stuck his entire foot into the water, smiling when he felt the mixture of wet and cold envelp his foot.

Thor scowled and stuck both feet into the water.

"Boys," Odin snapped, "Listen and stop toying around."

"Sorry…" Both boys mumbled.

Odin gave his two sons a hard stare before he resumed the session. Thor grinned again as he gave his brother a soft push with his shoulder. This took Loki by surprise briefly and he returned the favor with equal force. Thor's grin only grew wider as he bumped Loki with a little more force. Loki shot his brother a horrible glare. Thor only gave a wider grin and bumped his brother again. Loki silently examined his brother for several moments, then rammed his shoulder into Thor, who only giggled at the response.

When Odin stopped, the two boys quickly fell silent and still. Their father gave the two a quick, but warning look before speaking again. With a smirk, Loki ran his shoulder into Thor once again. However, whether he overshot the force or simply missed his target, Loki couldn't figure where the fault was, but he knew something went wrong when he toppled downwards. Loki fell into the water with a loud splash.

The blond froze when his father stopped again. "This will be my final warning," Odin said, "I will not turn my head, but if I must, then this lesson will be cancelled for something far more sever."

Thor let out a slow sigh as he watched his brother's dark hair bob up through the water. Thor held out his hand as Loki swam closer. As Loki grabbed Thor's hand, a quick gleam passed through his eye and yanked the blond into the water with him. Thor pulled out of the water and dunked his brother in, who retaliated by grabbing hold of Thor's leg as he swam upward.

The two quickly popped out of the lake, splashing each other with water in fits of giggles.

Whether or not they could hear their father or simply ignoring him, Odin couldn't tell. He could only shake his head as he boggled his mind for the most appropriate form of punishment, even if there was a slight smile on his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Two young princes meandered down the palace halls, each carrying a stack of books that touched their chins.

"This is entirely your fault." The blond mumbled.

"You're the one who started it." The darker haired one shot back.

"Did _not_." Thor protested

Loki rolled his eyes. "Nevertheless, we are both in trouble and should get these to the book-keeper before we get into more trouble."

"Do we even know where we are going?" Thor asked.

"When do we not know where we are going?"

Thor shot his brother a deathly glare.

Loki's face turned a light shade of pink. "That's right," He coughed in remembrance.

In silence, the two boys eventually found the library. Thor stopped before entering. "This _is_ the library, right?"

Loki pushed the door open with his foot, raising an eyebrow. Thor walked up to the entrance cautiously and poked his head through the doorway quickly. With a sigh of relief, he entered. They piled the books on the desk by the door. "Hello?" Loki called, "We have returned some of your books!"

The only reply they received was the echo of Loki's voice. Thor shrugged his shoulders and headed for the door, but stopped when he realized that his footsteps were missing a certain echo. He looked back and saw Loki skimming one of the innumerable books along the wall. "What are you doing?"

His eyes grazing the tattered pages, the younger prince said, "Looking. This one seems interesting. Just give me a moment and we can leave."

Thor sighed and rolled his eyes, but they returned to a shiny silver spine. The blond reached out his hand, but couldn't touch it. He then stood on the tips of his toes. Still, there was no avail.

Loki put his book away and saw Thor jumping in attempt to reach the book. "Thor, there's a ladder right next to you."

"Those are for mortals!" The boy proclaimed.

"If they were simply for mortals," Loki sighed, "Then I'm fairly certain we wouldn't use them."

"I am Odin's son!" Thor shouted with another jump. "I do not need such things!"

Thor gave one last leap and his hand finally latched onto the bookshelf. Loki's eyes widened and he took in a quick, sharp gasp.

A horrible boom echoed clearly through Asgard's royal palace.

Somewhere deep, deep within his heart and against his better judgment, Odin was hoping that was an act of war from the Jotuns and had absolutely _nothing_ to do with his children.

A guard marched up to the door. "The book keeper asks that you come to the library when you are given the chance."


End file.
